As an Online Editor, I spend all the working days surfing the
internet for news articles and creating contents. One recurring trend of news
that amazes me is the issue of rape. Personally, I started feeling weird when
my sexual urges started developing at puberty. Later, I discovered it was
normal after relating with several guys in the within my age group. What throws
me off balance is the issue of predatory adults having a carnal knowledge of
underage girls. This is commonly referred to as child rape.
According to Premium Times, Nigeria recorded 96 rape cases
between January 2012 and August 2014, but only nine convictions were secured.
On the 16th of July, a 75-year old man was charged to the
Ikeja Magistrate court for raping a little girl as young as 13. Could that have
been fun for the girl? What about the man? What about the case of a 27-year-old
man, identified as Shehu Bashiru of Yabati Ward in Sabon Gari local government
area of Kaduna State who allegedly raped a 2-year old girl to death? There are
numerous cases that I don't have the luxury of time to make references too.
Several efforts have been made by the government to correct
the anomaly in the society. On Wednesday, the 3rd of June, 2015, Nigeria’s Senate
passed a bill that approved life imprisonment for rapists and those who have
sex with children under 11years old.
The bill included various sentences and fines for other
sexual offenses such as incest, child pornography, sexual tourism, gang rape,
sexual harassment, prostitution of mentally disabled persons, lacing drinks
with drugs with intent to sexually abuse, and deliberately infecting someone with
HIV and other diseases. The bill also mandated storing names of sex offenders
in a database. This offense will also limit their employment opportunities in
Nigeria to areas where they will pose a lesser risk to people.
This is a good initiative by the government but how well has
it worked? Several culprits are on the loose wildly raping underage girls
because of the ease and accessibility. Most of them are scared of the
consequences of the crime when nabbed but the urgent motivation clouds their
reasoning of the end product.
These are weird cases
of end time but I don't want to address from the angle of spirituality. In this
age of social media and the invasion of other agents of the media like the
Television stations by adult contents which is evident in music videos and
movies, viewers get turned on easily.
It is frustrating as a writer, a times I spend two weeks
working on an intellectual article that addresses an issue of public affair and
after posting online, it gathers a minute number of views around 60 to 100 as
against when I make posts about the nudity of weird celebrities like Amber
Rose, Kim Kardashian and the 'celebutantes' like Maheeda and Afrocandy, that
could earn me hits of 10,000 on the first day alone. This accounts for the
reasons why most bloggers focus on strictly x-rated contents to grow their blogs.
These contents on the Television, songs played on radio
stations, other online contents, loneliness, pure pornography and the indecent
clothes blindly worn by ladies contribute to the horny nature of the son of
men. Since it is medically proven that a brain of an aroused human being
performs below optimum level, such an individual is bound to make irrational
decisions.
Some activists of child rights have advocated for long jail
terms for rapists but I don't believe that will ameliorate the problem fully.
Despite the documentaries about HIV/Aids and the massive campaigns on all media
platforms, people still have unprotected sex. This accounts for the quality of
one's decisions when hit by that urge. The failure to have sex at that point
becomes a do or die affair in most cases. It leads to a state of restlessness.
I have weighed this problem over time, some of the solutions
seem very controversial and odd but they will be quite effective. I support
taking a rough route to arrive safely at a destination rather than taking the
smoothest route and not making the landing point.
Below are my suggested solutions:
(1) A penalty should be attached to dressing indecently to
public places:
It has become too easy for an average human being to think
about sex every minute because it is what the society portrays. Walking around
a busy bus stop could generate funny ideas in your head as plus-size ladies
flaunt their bodies in skin-tight clothes. What is the fate of men that are
lonely, poor and can't masturbate? Rape is frankly the last option.
(2) Easily turned-on men should avoid adult contents, be it
on the social media or magazine or television:
This mayn't be easy
but it is very possible. It simply entails discipline. These contents may seem
attractive and interesting but the playbacks in your head will certainly haunt
you especially when you have no partner.
(3) Get a lover whose libido matches yours:
Sex in a relationship
is an issue we Africans shy away from. Most lovers find it difficult to accept
they have been having sex except when married. Sex can't be sidelined. Scarcity
of it has led to the destruction of several homes. You will always see men with
their insatiable urge going out of the marriage for the 'extra'.
(4) Try to help 'yourself':
One of the major problems of every man is the 'Self' factor.
When you don't have a lover and you can't control your sexual urge at the same
time, find some means of easing yourself of the pressure. Some people
masturbate while others visit brothels. These are the dark sides of the lives
of people they don't want to discuss with themselves not to talk of anybody.
Find your suitable pattern and avoid engaging in a demeaning activity like rape
which could accommodate you in jail on a long-term note.
(5) Mother/Guardians should keep close tabs on their female
children:
Since female children are highly vulnerable to underage rape
due to their mental capacity. They are easily lured by unscrupulous adults.
These adults sexually torture them and even go as far as threatening them with
death if they share their plight with anyone. This puts the innocent child in a
state of trauma. Mothers should help these young ones by monitoring their
movements and educating them on the danger of staying behind closed doors with
male folks.
Say No To Rape!
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